Amazon Seeks Dismissal of Prime Video Ads Lawsuit

Amazon is currently facing a legal battle with seven Prime users who are unhappy about the company’s decision to include ads in its streaming videos. These users are upset because after purchasing year-long subscriptions for ad-free content, they were asked to pay an additional $2.99 per month for the same ad-free service. However, Amazon argues that these Prime subscribers are still receiving all the benefits they signed up for, including full access to Prime Video.

The dispute began when California resident Wilbert Napoleon filed a lawsuit against Amazon in February after the company announced its intention to introduce ads into streaming videos for Prime members unless they paid the extra fee. In September of the same year, Amazon officially implemented this new ad tier. Napoleon and other Prime members claim that Amazon breached their contract by introducing ads into what was promised to be an ad-free service.

Despite this, Amazon maintains that the Prime users in question are not actually subscribers to “Prime Video,” a standalone service that costs $8.99 a month. Instead, they argue that these users are simply Prime members who have free access to Prime Video as a part of their subscription, which includes various other benefits. Amazon also points out that the Prime Video terms do not explicitly promise an ad-free experience.

The company further contends that none of the seven plaintiffs were actually harmed by the introduction of ads. Amazon claims that five of the plaintiffs opted not to pay for the ad-free upgrade and therefore cannot claim financial harm, while the other two who did pay for the ad-free option caused their own alleged harm.

At this stage, it remains to be seen whether the federal judge, Barbara Rothstein in Seattle, will allow the class-action complaint to proceed. The decision lies with Rothstein, and she has not yet indicated when she will make a ruling on the matter.